Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - Dial In - John 6:52-71 (Ep. 18)

Episode Date: April 22, 2020

Dial In is a devotional series with the intention of helping followers of Christ understand God’s word and love Him more. Jonny seeks to communicate the profound depth of scripture in a digestible and condensed format each weekday. The goal of the podcast is that our “minds would be renewed” as we behold who God is in His word. In this series, Jonny is walking sequentially through the Gospel of John.In this episode, Jonny covers John 6:52-71 where many of Jesus’ followers reject Jesus because His words were too hard for them. Jesus tells them that they must “eat of his flesh and drink of His blood.” What does Jesus mean by this? After seeing many leave, Jesus turns and asks the 12 “will you leave also?” Peter’s response is profound, “where else can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Jesus is life and He offers Himself to whoever comes. Watch VideosVisit the Website Follow on InstagramFollow on Twitter

Hey guys, my name is Johnny Artavanis and this is Dial In. We are in a passage of scripture that is typically referred to as the hard sayings of Jesus. But these sayings and these words are so essential for us to understand because the one who hears and receives these words, Jesus tells us, has eternal life. In this episode, we are in John chapter 6, verses 52 through 71. Let's dial in. John chapter 6, verses 52 through 71. The Jews then disputed amongst themselves, how can this man give us flesh to eat? So Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood,

you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever. Jesus said these things in the synagogue as he taught at Capernaum. When many of his disciples heard it, they said,

this is a hard saying. Who can listen to it? But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe and who it was who would betray him. And he said, After this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve,

Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God. Jesus answered them, did I not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil? He spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him. Now this whole passage is presenting one great theme. It's answering the question, how can sinners like you and I and Jesus' audience 2,000 years ago have eternal life? How can we escape the punishment by God in hell forever?

How can we live forever in glory with Jesus Christ? That's the theme of this passage, and we understand that theme clearly through the repetition that Jesus employs. John 6, 33, Jesus says, the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life. Verse 35, I am the bread of life. Verse 40, everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life. Verse 47, he who believes has eternal life. Verse 50, he will not die. Verse 51, live forever.

Verse 53, you have no life in yourself. Verse 54, eternal life. Verse 58, live forever. So this is the theme. How can we have eternal life? And today we will see the answer to this most important question by Jesus. How is this made possible? How can we live forever? How can we have confidence and security about where we will spend eternity? We see Jesus' answer in verse 51. Jesus says, I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world, watch this, is my flesh. So the Jews begin to mumble in verse 52. And it says, what is he saying? Mumble, mumble, mumble, it literally means. And Jesus interrupts their grumbling and their mumbling in verse 53 and it says, what is he saying? Mumble, mumble, mumble. It literally means, and Jesus interrupts their grumbling and their mumbling in verse 53 and says, truly, truly. Now maybe you've heard of these statements before where Jesus starts off a statement with verily, verily,

or truly, truly. The most literal translation of this would be amen, amen. We often finish our prayers by saying amen or in Jesus name, amen, or all those who are in agreement say amen. But Jesus doesn't need those around him to agree with what he is saying. He doesn't need affirmation from the crowd. He starts off by saying amen, amen, because he is his own source of authority. And whatever he is about to say is urgent and important. And our ears should be fine-tuned to what follows this statement. Jesus says, truly, truly, amen, amen, unless, now dial in here even more. He says, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life

in yourself. What? Now verse 54, he says, he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. Now what is Jesus talking about? What is he referring to here? Is he endorsing cannibalism? No, Jesus is answering the question on how we, you and I, can possibly get eternal life into our mortal bodies. How can you and I, destined to die, have eternal life? And Jesus is symbolizing something here. We need to be united with Jesus Christ. We need the life of Jesus in us. I often say this when I'm talking with students, but the Christian faith isn't someone

that we merely believe in. It is someone who lives inside of us. John 14 20 says, in that day, you will know that I am in my father and you and me and I in you. Believers in Jesus possess a union that makes us part of his life and him part of our life. There is no eternal life unless there is a union with Jesus. And when we partake of his flesh and drink of his blood. It is symbolizing the union that must take place in order for you and I to live forever. We see this in Galatians 2.20. It says, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Our union with Christ is not a metaphor. It is a true spiritual reality. We are united to him, but you may still be asking,

what does it mean to eat his flesh and drink his blood? St. Augustine says, believe and you have eaten. Eating his flesh and drinking his blood is a figurative way of saying, you need to believe in me, Jesus tells us. Look at me. Come to me. Receive me. Listen to the parallel in verse 40 and in verse 54. Verse 40 says, whoever beholds the son and believes has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day. So whoever beholds and believes has eternal life and Jesus will raise him up on the last day. So whoever beholds and believes has eternal life,

and Jesus will raise him up on the last day. Verse 54, he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. There's a striking parallel, and it is whoever beholds and believes is the one who eats and who drinks. Feeding is believing. But maybe you're asking, believing what? His miracles? That he is

God? We know it's not merely that because even the demons believe and shudder. What do we need to believe? Now listen here. Verse 51, Jesus says, the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. Jesus is referring to his flesh as the sacrifice for the entire world, the only sacrifice. Jesus came to die. He wasn't surprised by his crucifixion. He came to die. He came to live a perfect life, obey God in every single way that you and I fail to do, and to die. Believing in Jesus as the living bread is not enough. We must also believe in him as dying blood. And this is shocking news for the Jews in the synagogue in Capernaum. Jesus tells them, you must accept my life and you also must accept my death. This was not the Messiah they were expecting, but Jesus is telling them, and he

tells us today, unless you believe in his sacrificial death, you cannot possess eternal life. One pastor says, as bread he exactly what Jesus is referring to. This doesn't sit well with the Jews, the idea that their Messiah would be killed. And so many of them walk away. They turn from him. They reject him. These were not random strangers. The text here says that they were his disciples. They turn from him. They reject him. These were not random strangers. The text here says that

they were his disciples. They were his students and they turn away. I want to draw your attention to one thing real quick. Jesus tells all of them to come and eat because it's not enough to observe, listen, appreciate, or admire his words or miracles. You need to partake in what he offers. And to the audience and the crowd that Jesus is addressing, this is a personal thing, and it's also a personal thing for us today. No one can do this for you. Your heart must ache, and you must feel the pang of hunger in your soul and come to the only one who can give you life. But in verse 60, we read that many of his disciples leave him. They leave him. And this is what we see over and over again throughout the scriptures.

Many turn, not because they don't understand what Jesus is saying, but because his words were offensive. First Corinthians 1.23, the cross is a stumbling block to the Jew, and it is foolishness to the Gentiles. That is you and I. The sorrow of Jesus is palatable in verse 67. He is brokenhearted. Those who had followed him had turned away and rejected him. This is not unusual. This is the norm. And it's not because they didn't believe in his works. It's because his words were offensive. The message of Jesus Christ is offensive to the world.

And Jesus turns to the 12 in verse 67, and he asks them, are you guys going to leave as well? He's not being manipulative here. He is truly sorrowful because those who he had offered life to had rejected him. Peter gives us a profound response in verse 68. He says, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God. Peter declares what you and I must understand. Jesus is the only one who offers us eternal life, and it is made possible through his life and through his death on our behalf. Jesus today offers life to those who are dying. He offers satisfaction to those who are searching. And I ask you, have you come to him? No one else can do it for you.

You must come and you must eat and you must believe and you must receive him as Lord. Stay dialed in. Bye.